1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computerized, interactive pronunciation learning system wherein the pitch (frequency), volume (amplitude) and duration of a model speaker""s reading of text is encoded digitally and compared with the encoded pitch, volume, and duration of a user""s speech, provision being made for display of the results such that the user can visually and audibly ascertain the abstracted differences between the model""s and user""s speech parameters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computer assisted language learning systems have been disclosed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,495 to Willetts discloses, inter alia, a system wherein a student can select a model phrase from text displayed on an electronic display, record in digitized form his own pronunciation of that phrase and then listen to the digitized vocal version of the selected phrase and his own recorded pronunciation for comparison purposes. The background section of the ""495 patent describes a number of other prior art computer assisted language learning systems. For the sake of brevity, the prior art description set forth in the ""495 patent will not be repeated herein.
Although the prior art systems include various features necessary for providing visual text displays and associated digitized audio speech and the ""495 patent discloses a system which allows a student to select a model phrase from text displayed on an electronic display, record his own pronunciation of that phrase and then listen to the digitized vocal version of the selected phrase and his own recorded pronunciation for comparison purposes, the comparison is accomplished without having a visual representation nor any objective comparison of the differences.
What is therefore desired is to provide a computer assisted language learning system wherein the prosodic differences of pitch, volume, and duration and other quantifiable differences are compared and/or relayed such that the differences therebetween can be graphically displayed, specified objectively and/or heard as audible tones.
The present invention provides an interactive computer assisted pronunciation learning system which allows a student to compare his/her pronunciation with that of a model speaker. The model speaker""s reading of a text selection is digitally linked to each corresponding syllable segment of text. Pitch, volume, and duration parameters of each syllable are extracted digitally and displayed in a simplified xe2x80x9cmusicalxe2x80x9d-type notation above each word. Those parameters are stored for optional replay of extracted tones. The student""s own speech is also recorded and linked to and aligned with the model""s. The student""s speech record is analyzed, displayed and/or replayed in the same manner as the model. The student can choose the option of overlapping his/her own notation upon that of the model speaker and determine by inspection, where his/her own speech varies from that of the model speaker, to what degree, and on which parameter. When selected from the menu, scores are displayed in the margin denoting the percentage of correct correspondence to the model as well as the type and degree of each type of error.
The present invention thus improves upon existing interactive computer assisted learning systems by providing an easily used software program which links and aligns a student""s speech record digitally to the speech record of a model for comparative processing and which enables a student to visually compare the characteristics of his/her speech, such as pitch, volume, and duration with that of a model speaker and to specify the percentage of correspondence between the student""s pronunciation and that of the model speaker.